Man Who Inspired Taylor Swift’s ‘Teardrops’ Charged With Child Abuse

The “Drew” that inspired Taylor Swift’s “Teardrops on My Guitar” has been arrested and charged with child abuse after an incident in Hendersonville, Tenn. Andrew Hardwick was one of three people arrested, although he’s the only one accused of hitting a child.

Hardwick, 27, is accused of causing injuries to a 3-year-old girl. A 5-year-old girl also said she was struck by Hardwick, but was not injured. The 3-year-old suffered bruising and lacerations on her head, as well as a concussion. People reports that she was airlifted to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Nashville.

The Tennessean furthers that another adult on site told police the two girls were upstairs with just Hardwick. The 5-year-old said she was hit, and when Hardwick’s half-brother Christopher Hardwick went upstairs, there was a confrontation and a call for help. Christopher said he saw Andrew hit the 3-year-old in the face. Police saw what looked like blood on Andrew’s hand when they arrived shortly after 10PM on Saturday night (Dec. 26).

Christopher Hardwick (34) and Joni Hardwick (44) were also arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct, as well as simple assault and resisting arrest charges, respectively. Those charges were not related to the assault of the children, but to confrontations with police officers. Christopher Hardwick told police he and Andrew had been drinking heavily since 4PM that day.

Swift and Andrew Hardwick knew each other in high school, and the singer would later go on to write “Teardrops on My Guitar” about their story. "Drew looks at me, I fake a smile so he won't see / That I want and I'm needing everything that we should be / I'll bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about / And she's got everything that I have to live without" Swift sings to open the 2007 hit from her self-titled album.

The two hadn't talked in several years when she released the pining-for-love song, but she admitted to the Washington Post that he showed up at her house with a friend after the song became a radio hit.